Plug and socket connection



Oct. 14, 1941. v c BRQWNE 2,258,737

PLUG AND SOCKET CONNECTION Filed Jan. 19, 1940 WWW f7 Fig.3

' lNVENTOR CFC/L 0. BROWNE MXZM ATTORN EY Patented Oct. 14, 1941 PLUG AND SOCKET CONNECTION Cecil Oswald Browne, West Acton, London, England, assignor to Electric & Musical Industries Limited, Hayes, Mlddlesex, England, a company of Great Britain Application January 19, 1940, Serial No. 314,599

In Great Britain January 19, 1939.

Claims.

to which the present invention relates usually comprise a bifurcated sleeve or plug which makes contact with a solid sleeve and it is found, in connecting these two sleeves together that the parts initially are not held co-axially, with the result that the bifurcated portions tend to become distorted and after use the bifurcated portions lose their resiliency or become so distorted that the two sleeves do not inter-engage firmly and tend to fall apart when in use. It will of course be appreciated particularly with high frequency co-axial cables that it is essential to maintain firm and close contact between the plug and socket connection and it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved form of connection with a view to avoiding the above mentioned disadvantage.

According to the present invention, there is provided a. plug and socket connector comprising a plug member and a socket member adapted to be engaged with each other to eflect electrical contact therebetween, either or both of said members being bifurcated, wherein guiding means are provided which ensure that said members are rendered co-axial before they can engage with each other, whereby deterioration of the electrical contact between said members due to distortion of the bifurcations of either or both of saidmembers is reduced. Said guiding means preferably comprise a pair of rigid cylindrical sleeves adapted to engage with each other and extending beyond one of said members, and one of said members may be arranged to serve as one of said sleeves. Further plug and socket members may also be provided so as to enable more than one electrical contact to be made simultaneously by the connector. In a preferred form one of said plug members comprises a bifurcated cylinder of thin electrically conducting material and is provided with an internal ring spring to urge the bifurcated portions outwards into contact with the co-operating socket member.

The application of the invention to a plug and socket connector for use with a screened cable will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a diametral cross section of the one portion of the connector element I, Fig.

1a is a cross-section of the other portion of the connector element 2.

Figure 2 shows an end elevation of Fig. l, and Fig. 3 shows an end elevation of Fig. la. The connector comprises a plug and socket member for the screen of the cable and further plug and socket members for the inner conductor of the cable. In the following description the term plug" will be used for contacting member of smaller diameter, and the term socket will be used for a co-operating contacting member of larger diameter.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, the plug element I shown by Fig. 1 comprises an outer cylindrical sleeve 3, preferably of conducting material having at one end a collar or flange 4 which may, for example, serve to support the plug element I relatively to the chassis of radio apparatus or other apparatus. The plug portion 5, which is adapted to engage the inner surface of the socket 6 associated with the other element 2 of the connector, is screwthreaded into the end of the conducting sleeve 3, so that it is co-axially arranged in the conducting sleeve 3. The external diameter of the plug 5 is smaller than the internal diameter of said sleeve 3 so that an annular space into which the socket 6 may pass when engaging with said plug 5 is provided. The plug 5 is formed as a sleeve of relatively thin resilient material and is bifurcated in two planes at right angles so as to split the end of the plug into four portions 511, 5b, 5c, 5d. Preferably, the external diameter of the plug 5 is slightly less than the internal diameter of the socket 6 with which it is adapted to engage and a ring spring 1 is provided internally of the plug tending to force the bifurcated portions 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d outwardly. The ring spring I is preferably held in position in an annular groove formed on the inner surface of the socket. The sleeve 5 which surrounds the plug 5 projects a substantial extent beyond the bifurcated end of the plug 5, and it will therefore be appreciated that before the socket 6 can engage the plug 5 the socket must first be inserted into the projecting end of said sleeve 3, the insertion in this manner causing the socket 6 to be moved into alignment with the plug 5 so that when the socket 6 engages with the plug 5 it must of necessity be substantially in alignment therewith. Consequently undue distortion ofthe bifurcated portion 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d is prevented and a firm contact between the socket 6 and plug 5 is thus ensured even if in some cases the ring spring I to which a further conductor may be soldered.

It is preferred to form the socket 8 for the inner conductor of bronze, or any special contact ma= terial, and as this socket is of relatively small dimension, the natural resiliency of the brass material may not be sumcient to afford the necessary firm contact. Accordingly, it is preferred to surround the two bifurcated portions 8a, 8b of this socket with a split sleeve 8c of spring steel which may be held against axial displacement in a recess in the outer surface of the said socket.

The other or socket element 2 of the connector as shown by Fig. la comprises the sleeve 6 forming the socket portion for the screen of the cable, and is preferably screwthreaded at one end into a clamping sleeve iii, the purpose of which will be referred'to hereinafter. Said clamping sleeve I is preferably provided with a flange it projecting from the interior of the clamping sleeve against which said sleeve 6 may be screwed home. The plug portion 52 for the central conductor of the screened cable which is adapted to engage with the socket 8 is supported so as to project centrally from a collar of insulating material it held within the sleeve 6. The clamping sleeve IE is also internally screw-threaded at its end opposite to that which receives the sleeve 6 to receive the cable grip ll, which is in the form of a short cylinder having an external screw thread which engages with the internal screwthread of the sleeve llland an internal thread into which the screen I of the cable may be screwed. The screen I5 is preferably clamped between the end of the sleeve 6 and the flange ll l. The end of the sleeve 6 may be of conical form, and an internally cone-shaped washer l6 provided to co-operate therewith so as to give more efi'ective clamping of said screen l5. The cable grip l4 and the sleeve 6 and Ill are made of material having good electrical conductivity, so that they effectively form a continuation of said screen l5 of the cable. The internal conductor I! of the cable is carried through the. cable grip l4 and soldered to the end of the plug l2 as shown. The soldering of the internalconductor l'l to the end of the plug l2 may be facilitated by cutting away a portion of the sleeve 5.

It will be appreciated that the plug member I 6 for a coaxial cable, it will be appreciated that the invention can also be applied to other forms of plug and socket connections, such as to connections in which only single conductors are re-*- quired to be connected.

I claim:

' I 1. A plug and socket connection for joining a apparatus comprising an inner and outer con-v ductor, an insulating core located .within the outer conductor, a socket portion in the form of a long thin metallic tube connected to the outer conductor and located at one end of said insulating core, asecond insulating core located within said long thin metallic tube, a first metallic member secured at the central axis of said second insulating core and connected to the inner conductor, a plug portion in the form of a second metallic tube connected to the high frequency apparatus, a third metallic tube concentrically located within and connected to said second metallic tube, a third insulating core, and a second metallic member having contact engaging means for-said first mentioned metallic member.

2. A plug and socket connection for joining a high frequency coaxial cable to high frequency apparatus comprising an inner and outer conductor, an insulating core located within the outer conductor, a socket portion in the form of a long thin metallic tube connected to the outer conductor and located at one end of said insulating core, a second insulating core located within said long thin metallic tube, a first metallic member secured at the central axis of said insulating core and connected to the inner conductor, a plug portion in the form of a second metallic tube connected to the high frequency apparatus, a third metallic tube split at one end and concentrically located within and connected to said second metallic tube, a third insulating core, and a second metallic member split at one end and having contact engaging means for said first mentioned metallic member.

3. A plug and socket connection for joining a high frequency coaxial cable to high frequency apparatus comprising an inner and outer conductor, an insulating core located within the outer conductor, a socket portion in the form of a long thin metallic tube connected to the outer conductor and located at one end of said insulating core, a second insulating core located ,within said long thin metallic tube, a first metallic member secured at the central axis of said second insulating core and connected to the inner conductor, a plug portion in the form of a second metallic tube connected to the high frequency apparatus, a third metallic tube split at one end concentrically located within and connected to said second metallic tube, a third insulating core, a second metallic member split at one end and having contact engaging means for said first mentioned metallic member, and an internal spring member for enlarging the split end of said third metallic tube.

4. A plug and socket connection for joining a high frequencycoaxial cable to high frequency apparatus comprising an inner and outer conduc- 0 tor, an insulating core located within the outer conductor, a socket portion in the form of a long thin metallic tube connected to the outer conductor and located at one end of said insulating core, a second insulating core located within said long thin metallic tube, a first metallic member secured at the central axis of said second insulating core and connected to the inner conductor, a plug portion in the form of a second metallic tube connected to the high frequency 0 apparatus, a third metallic tube split at one end high frequency coaxial cable to high frequency and concentrically located within and connected to said second metallic tube, a third insulating core, a second metallic member split at one end and having contact engaging means for said first mentioned metallic member, and an internal ring-like spring member for enlarging the split end of said third metallic tube.

5. A plug and socket connection for joining a high frequency coaxial cable to high frequency apparatus comprising an inner and outer conductor, an insulating core located within the outer conductor, a socket portion in the form of a long thin metallic tube connected to the outer conductor and located at one end of said insulating core, a second insulating core located within said long thin metallic tube, a first metallic member secured at the central axis of said second insulating core and connected to the inner conductor, a plug portion in the form of a second metallic tube connected to the high frequency apparatus, a third metallic tube concentrically located within and connected to said second metallic tube, a third insulating core, a second metallic member having contact engaging means for said first mentioned metallic member, and an internal spring member for enlarging the 10 split end of said third metallic tube.

CECIL OSWALD BROWNE. 

